Isle of Wight supervisors to meet on International Paper

ISLE OF WIGHT — County supervisors will hold a special meeting today at 4 p.m. regarding finding a replacement for the closed International Paper mill.

Thomas Wright, the new chairman of the Board of Supervisors, called the meeting around noon Tuesday the purpose of consideration of approval of a confidentiality agreement with International Paper. The meeting will be held in the General Services Conference Room at the county courthouse complex, 17100 Monument Circle.

International Paper closed its paper mill in April, leaving workers and officials the city of Franklin and counties of Isle of Wight and Southampton looking to fill the economic void left by its departure.

The sting of International Paper's closure will hit Isle of Wight coffers next year, when it loses approximately $5.7 million in taxes from the shuttered paper mill. County officials have been working since the spring to find a suitable replacement for the mill.